The Supreme Court of India on February 11, 2026, notified the “Guidelines for Designation of Senior Advocates by the Supreme Court of India, 2026”, formally amending, modifying, and replacing the earlier 2023 guidelines, pursuant to the Court’s decision in Jitender v. State, 2025 INSC 667.
The new guidelines were approved in a Full Court meeting held on February 10, 2026, comprising the Chief Justice of India and all Judges of the Supreme Court. Under the revised framework, all matters relating to designation of Senior Advocates will be handled by a permanent “Committee for Designation of Senior Advocates”, headed by the Chief Justice of India and comprising the two senior-most Judges of the Court.
As per the guidelines, the designation process will be initiated at least once every year, with applications invited online and notified on the Supreme Court’s official website. Advocates must ordinarily have a minimum of 10 years’ standing, primarily practise before the Supreme Court, and must have attained the age of 45 years, unless relaxed by the Full Court. The guidelines also prescribe cooling-off periods where applications have been rejected or deferred in the recent past
The Secretariat of the Committee will compile data on applicants’ reputation, conduct, integrity, professional ability, standing at the Bar, domain expertise, and pro bono work, and will invite feedback from stakeholders before placing proposals before the Full Court. Final decisions on designation will ordinarily be taken by consensus, with voting by secret ballot permitted only in exceptional circumstances
The guidelines further permit the Full Court to recommend designation even without a formal application, subject to the advocate’s consent, and provide a mechanism for review or recall of designation in cases of subsequent misconduct. Former Chief Justices and Judges of High Courts may also seek designation, subject to specified conditions, including restrictions where full-time post-retirement assignments are held
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